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Falians
The Falians, as well as the Fabians, were a colonial military organization that moved into and ruled much of the Old World for about 20 years. They were among the most successful and rapidly expanding civilization in all history, under the direction of Su-ba'tai. The Falians were githekos that invaded Arcadia beginning in the Eighth Era, and they quickly conquered Tyrrhos islands with little resistance. Their conquests in Neuphany were relatively unmatched as well, but their expansion was suspended after the Falians began consolidating power in Cascadia and Arborea. In the early Tenth Era, there was a split between the philosophies of the ruling King Xa'al, who had taken a local human wife, Hadassa, and the rest of the ruling military class. The former split off into the class known as Fabians, who were focused on enlightenment and benevolent rule, and the Falians, who upheld the original laws of their god-empress Vaalkhan. The split between the Falians and Fabians resulted in the weakening of their state authority and disintegration of their military strength, leading to much of their territory being either conquered by the Ascani Empire or the revolt of local lords. By the Tenth Era, the Falians and Fabians had no territorial holdings, and the remaining githekos turned to itinerant lifestyles. Name The terms Falian ''and ''Fabian come from the Gith language, with fa meaning "in the," and the terms li and bi meaning "at the" and "with the," respectively. In the Gith tongue, when conjoined, these terms can be translated as "those who walk the Earth" and "those who are at harmony with the Earth." The distinction here is indicative of the differences in the Falian and Fabian philosophies. In traditional Gith characters, and transliterated with more fidelity to the proper pronunciation in Gith, the names would be better transliterated as Fa-li and Fa-bi. The ''-ian suffix was added as an anglicized relic of Ascani scholars. Military organization The number of troops brought over from the eastern "cold lands" is the subject of debate between modern scholars and the word of the Fabian Antarch, but it was at least 100,000 by CE 402. The Falian military organization was simple but effective, based on the decimal system. The army was built up from squads of ten men each, sarths (10 people), kith'raks (100), gish (1,000), yan'ki (10,000), and khans (100,000). Khans usually command greater numbers, however, since they are also colonial governors. The Falians were most famous for their wyvern-mounted archers, but troops armed with lances were equally skilled, and the Falians recruited other military talents from the lands they conquered. With experienced Sasceri engineers and a bombardier corps which was expert at building trebuchets, catapults and other machines, the Falians could lay siege to fortified positions, sometimes building machinery on the spot using available local resources. Logistics and tactics Forces under the command of the Falians were trained, organized, and equipped for mobility and speed. Falian soldiers were often more lightly armored than many of the armies they faced but were able to make up for it with maneuverability. Each Falian warrior would usually travel with multiple wyverns, allowing him to quickly switch to a fresh mount as needed and bolstering their destructive capabilities. In addition, soldiers of the Falian army functioned independently of supply lines, considerably speeding up army movement. Skillful use of couriers enabled the leaders of these armies to maintain contact with each other. Discipline and training Discipline was inculcated during a hunt called a ''farthing. These hunts were distinctive from hunts in other cultures, being the equivalent to small unit actions. Falian forces would spread out in a line on the ground, forming a circle around a large area. They then would drive all of the game within that area together. The goal was to let none of the animals escape and to slaughter them all. Officers and troopers alike were usually given a wide leeway by their superiors in carrying out their orders, so long as the larger objectives of the plan were well served and the orders promptly obeyed. The Falians thus avoided the pitfalls of overly rigid discipline and micromanagement, which have impeded armed forces throughout history. However, all members had to be unconditionally loyal to each other and to their superiors, and especially to the Khan. If one soldier ran from danger in battle, he and his nine comrades from the same sarth would face the death penalty together. The sarth then had a finger removed and was demoted. Mobility Another advantage of the Falians was their ability to traverse large distances, even in unusually cold winters; for instance, frozen rivers led them like highways to large urban centers on their banks. The Falians, because they were entirely mounted on airborne wyverns, were not impeded by structures, fortifications, terrain, or oceans, and could pursue routed armies for hundreds of miles. Strategy Traditionally known for their prowess in pitched battles, the Falians were not so skilled in counterinsurgency. Though they were quite capable of instilling fear into local populations and lords, keeping their lands secure diminished if the local population had means of guerilla tactics, like caves or underground tunnels. In addition, they lost nearly all of their holdings after a decisive defeat by the Ascani Empire. All military campaigns were preceded by careful planning, reconnaissance, and the gathering of sensitive information relating to enemy territories and forces. The success, organization, and mobility of the Falian armies permitted them to fight on several fronts at once. All adult males up to the age of 60 were eligible for conscription into the army, a source of honor in their warrior tradition. History Pre-Arcadian conquests The Falians have been mobilized for thousands of years, originating in an unknown southern continent referred to by the gith as Yi'tyan. Their capitol, Tu'narath, is the home for their deity Vaalkhan, and by her decree, the githekos are compelled to conquer the entire world as their birthright. The Falian military force directed to the Old World were led under the Ku'lik ''army, led by the Khan Su-ba'tai. Having conquered much of the regions to the west, the Falians moved across the Tomyrian Sea around CE 370. Antarch writes that prior to the invasion of Arcadia, Su-ba'tai invaded a mountainous continent to the West he calls ''Coryzon, the "Cold Place," which is perhaps connected to Vostok Manda. Antarch does not write on the alleged storms that plague the Astoric Ocean nor the Tomyrian Sea, but it is likely that the Falians flew only across the Ivory Sea and did not encounter its legendary storms during their hundred-year journey. Early colonization The expanse of Arcadia was mostly inhabited with giants, who had long ago overtaken the region from the Omerads who had been enslaved by Goodfellow legions in the centuries after the Magdamolia. The giants were neither organized enough nor possessed the technology to fight against the Falians. This made the process quite simple for the Falians to establish themselves in Arcadia, and proceeded to send scouting parties north into Arborea. These scouting parties soundly defeated any Goodfellow resistance and governors were placed in these regions by the end of the Eighth Era, CE 499, after less than a year in reaching Ossuria. In conquering Arborea, the Falians were able to mine and produce vast amounts of steel. Su-ba'tai was partial to one such area, approximately two miles south of modern-day Bradenburg in Cantabria, building the city of R'getta and strategizing most of his campaigns from this region. Su-ba'tai had also sent a scouting party south into the Baerisian Islands. Due to the heat, the difficulty in conquering a jungle using their flying mounts, disease, and hostile wildlife, the scouting force was recalled to R'getta for other operations in CE 500. Antarch, as the primary historian on the Falian conquests in the Old World, wrote that "Su-ba'tai was rather surprised with the ease that this new land fell under the wings of gith wyverns. Indeed, the githekos thus far had not had a simple conquest in Coryzon, though even prior to this was a far less complex matter. The esteemed khan had never believed that a land so rich in its mineral rights and its space could have been so poorly equipped against invasion; he deemed such a thing to be a blessing of Vaalkhan for his faith and reverence. He thus never went anywhere without at least three shamans, even for his evening walks." Su'ba-tai invades Cisteria A brief stint in Arborea's north and in Bastria secured the intermediate borderlands between the mountains dividing the north and south. Not much is written about this campaign, and considering it was only a few weeks. The Ascani Empire was in turmoil with the death of Saturn and the subsequent assassination of Titus Augustus, his only successor. It was likely that many of the cities in northern Arborea outside of Lenorum thought that the Falians were responsible for the death of Saturn, and aligned themselves with the Falians in consideration. After this, Su'ba-tai split his force under his yan'ki, taking four with himself and splitting the other six between his nephew Xa'al and his son Fen-a'gai. He moved with his 40,000 troops north into Prace. This campaign would provide the most difficult of Su-ba'tai's lengthy career, as he was up against a seasoned army in their own territory under the last of the Seldarine dynasty, King Trarychon. Trarychon's forces probably numbered over 200,000, and had no qualms about ruining the land of other kings of the Borean Period in order to stave off the wyvern-riding army. Subutai initially attempted to outflank them by feinting an attack on Tethryndor and maneuvering into Selendor, whose rugged mountains could conceal his movements as he moved north into Baredor. Though Trarychon were fooled by the feint, they recovered rapidly once Su-ba'tai's main advance was discovered, and the attempt to break into Baredor ended in failure after Subutai's advanced raiding parties were driven off at the Lunen River. To repel what seemed to be an unstoppable force, Trarychon utilized eldritch magic associated with the Heart of Prace to, against the will of his constituency, to slay wyverns in the sky. He also employed a number of classical strategies in the style of Elemorya, including: * Ballistas with ten-foot-long barbed bolts, which would almost always guarantee the death of a wyvern if it struck its body and down it if it struck its wings. Jacarandite wyverns were aggressive and often attacked head-on, making these weapons deadly when used. Some records by Oelus indicate that these ballistas were called polybolos and could fire up to eleven missiles in one minute, but none survive today. * War elephants were among the most formidable beasts of burden to resist the wyverns, making up the bulk of the army's flanks. Their tusks could easily rip apart a Jacarandite wyvern, though it usually came at the cost of the elephant if the wyvern was able to get through its barding quickly enough. The ballistas were mounted to war elephants and operated by crews of three. * Okapi cavalry were fast and able to evade wyverns somewhat if riders were skilled enough, which drilling later in the war effectively solidified. Archers were trained since a young age to employ a Parthian shot, utilizing the aggressiveness of the wyverns to allow them chase and to lay into them with barbed arrows. Despite this, the Falians captured a foothold in Gamelam, twenty miles from the valley of Gorogoth. The city was unprepared and had no ballistas to stop the wyvern riders, as it was too far east for Trerychon to reach in time. The victory was marginal, and the two generals reached a stalemate throughout the winter of CE 499. Su-ba'tai could have simply moved north, as the army could easily thrive off the land and move as they please, but the bold Khan knew that supply lines were not his necessity, but his opponent's. In April CE 500, Su-ba'tai made another attempt to outmaneuver the newly fortified elven lines by using a similar highly audacious approach that they had employed in Coryzon. The Falians divided into their three yan'ki regiments: one to attack over the Lunen river in the east, another to attempt to cross the Lunen river in the west, and the last, Su-ba'tai, moving up past the Lunen river in western Baredor to take the weaker flank. The elves at the Lunen river had well-fortified positions, but in the plains along the coast, the few castles built there fell easily to the Falians. Disheartened by the ease of the Falian advance against them, many of the cities and castles along the Lunen gave in and surrendered. Su-ba'tai killed most of their men, pillaged their supplies, captured as many women as they could, and continued to move north, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The main Borean army promptly marched to intercept Su-ba'tai's army along the Elorian Channel separating Ludor from Baredor. Its commander, a Seldarine named Otheneus, attempted to ambush the githekos at night while they were in their camp, as the elves had the advantage of darkvision and didn't need to sleep. However, after the initial ambush, the fighting turned into a stalemate and Otheneus was forced to retreat under darkness before they could be effectively tracked. Otheneus retreated towards the city of Nuenor in order to obtain supplies. Continuing his attrition tactics, Su-ba'tai used a feint attack to divert the Borean forces away from Nuenor in the early morning. Rather than continually attempting to attack Otheneus during their early morning retreat, Su-ba'tai instead dispersed his army into their gish components to target supplies in the area. Retaining some 3,000 under his command to disguise his tactics, the gish and their 1,000 wyverns each pillaged every settlement on the way to Nuenor and, when the city was discovered a few hours before Otheneus could retreat there, the gish told them they would be spared if they refused to let the Borean forces enter. They complied, and Otheneus was unable to retreat before the sun rose. Knowing both where Otheneus was and where he was going, Su-ba'tai forced a battle on his terms and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Endengin on 19 April CE 500. The entire army of some 120,000 soldiers, 1,000 war elephants, and a significant portion of the magicians under Trerychon were annihilated as the army scattered into the northern hills by the coast. Endengin, the "Hill of the Slain," is still littered with their bones to this day. After the battle, Trerychon himself commanded the remaining 80,000. Trerychon would become the only general in history who was the victor in three different battles against the Falians as they moved north into Ludor, defeating them in major naval engagements along the Elorian Channel. This culminated in the Siege of Ghine (CE 500). The well-fortified city of Ghine has long been one of the most well-defended and warlike states in all of Prace. Additionally, the elves began to import cutting edge gunpowder weapons from the Auber of Cascadia. Their two weapons of choice were thunder crash bombs and fire-lances. The fire lance dispensed metal pellets in a massive black cloud, which didn't kill Jacarandite wyverns but acted as excellent deterrent. In addition, the thunder crash bombs were loud enough to frighten wyverns from approaching the city. They were also coated in a thick resin which could attach themselves to wyverns instantly if launched. The resulting explosion would not only kill a wyvern and its rider instantly, but also drive off every wyvern in the vicinity. The Siege of Ghine would last for almost a year. After cutting off Ghine from any outside supply lines, Su-ba'tai alternated intense bombardments using captured gunpowder and plundering the countryside. The Falian dispersion helped them avoid an eldritch curse that caused the city to fall massively ill, and Trerychon fled the city; he was captured by a yan'ki returning to Ghine from a farthing in the late evening. Su'ba'tai originally wanted to let the people of Ghine die from their curse for insolence and their extremely lengthy resistance. However, word from Xa'al indicated to Su-ba'tai that helping them recover would be beneficial in the long run. Though ruthless, Su-ba'tai was also a rational person. He efficiently distributed food and water to the starving residents, and had his shamans cure the survivors from their curse. With Trerychon, the last Seldarine, captured, the rest of the city-states of northern Prace surrendered over the next few days, making the pacification of Prace complete. Before his execution, Trerychon said his last wish was to meet with Su-ba'tai to pay his respects to the legendary general. His final words were of praise: "It is not chance but destiny that makes conquerors such as you. Having seen you, I am ready to die." Campaigns of Xa'al Nebopolis Initially following Falian tradition, Xa'al easily took the plains of Agabad and flew into Laurea in Cascadia to conquer the Auber. His initial conquests led to the taking of Galathon, a stretch of coastline along the interior of the Red Cape Bay. Here, the last of the Davarians lived and were enslaved by the Falians. Xa'al then laid siege to Nebopolis (modern-day White Harbor) from this position. One of Xa'al's concubines taken from Galathon, Hadassa, endeared herself to Xa'al and other githekos in his service. Throughout the first few months of the siege, she learned of Falian culture and eventually asked that she be allowed to go through the Falian prospect of breaking a wyvern. Xa'al was fearful of losing his favored consort but relented after she demonstrated sorcerous abilities she kept secret. Using these powers she broke a Chrysanthemite wyvern, defying Falian convention, and became the first human and non-Falian to ride a wyvern. In the coming months with no progress in the siege of Nebopolis, Hadassa appealed to Xa'al to utilize diplomacy as a primary means of conquest, not secondary. His own background being a catalyst for this line of thinking, Xa'al began his city-farthing strategy that would characterize all of his military campaigns. Using this technique, he secured Nebopolis in two weeks, concluding a seven-month siege of one city. Nebopolis was fortified and expaned under Xa'al's reign, constructing a palace for his wives on the south south of the peninsula and building out new sections of the city to accomodate his army and their wyverns. This began accusations of Xa'al's "domestication," believing his preoccupation with building out the city and creating a palace was abandoning the ways of the Falians and the will of Vaalkhan. Xa'als gish, however, preferred the luxury and wealth empire-building afforded them. City-farthing Xa'al's city-farthing ''technique is based on both the ''farthing hunting style githekos employ, and an observation Xa'al made of Old World society in the High Mythic Ages. The societies under Goodfellow rule were highly stratified, mainly by wealth and influence. Xa'al would first send Hadassa on back of a wyvern to meet with the local rulers, usually Goodfellow shoguns but also kings and tribal warlords. Hadassa would ask on behalf of Xa'al to surrender to the Falians, and all their lives would be spared. This was already typical; however in Falian tradition, this was usually the only offer given. If Falians made it within the walls, they usually razed the city. Hadassa, if refused or attacked, would fly back to Xa'al with the news. Next, Xa'al himself would begin sending letters in the local language to all of the next-highest rulers, such as Goodfellow daimyos. These individuals would be offered the same agreement: the life of their superior, the shogun, is forfeit, the letter would say. However, if all the daimyos surrendered unanimously, they would be spared, and one of them would be chosen by Xa'al to replace the shogun. This process continued down the chain of command. If even the lowest level of lords refused to surrender, gish were commanded to fly around the countryside or find a way into the city and begin telling the locals that if they overthrew their lords by a certain date, usually a week from the final refusal, their lives would be spared. If not, the city would be razed and there were no guarantees for their life. This strategy was highly effective. Xa'al swept across all of Cascadia in two months. Su-ba'tai instructed Xa'al, after this display, had the yan'ki invade Tyrrhos, believing it would be a short matter before Cascadia revolted. No such revolt came during this time, and the island of Tyrrhos was taken in three months. In all, Xa'al had completed his original duty and beyond in five months using this strategy. Structure of Xa'al's colonies With very few exceptions, Goodfellow garrisons across Cascadia refused Xa'al offer, leading to their destruction and replacement with local aristocrats and lords. Auber free from such praetorian rulership universally took the offer from Xa'al. In Tyrrhos, far more Goodfellow shoguns and daimyos chose to cooperate with Xa'al, though at least three-quarters of them were overthrown. Because of the low development in Tyrrhos, Xa'al brought Auber diplomats and scholars from Cascadia to organize and adminstrate Tyrrhos. Cascadia and Tyrrhos under Xa'al was heavily influenced by the Auber, as he relied on them to be his governors and ministers. Though many Auber abided by the old emirate dictates and philosophy, Falian structures had an eminent effect on their style of adminstration. The pseudo-meritocracy and patronage of scholars greatly benefited the Auber during Xa'al's occupation, paying off through massive public works projects and increasing literacy. Public opinion was vastly in favor of this Falian style of rule. Agricultural output increased exponentially as most farmers were not taxed except when selling their goods at market, and the heterodoxy of religions and mystery cults in these regions were tolerated with little to no interference. Fen-a'gai The difficulties from campaigns in Coryzon cropped up again in Fen-a'gai's attempts to conquer Crotalusia, Gantelusia, and Laconia. Crotalusia and parts of Gantelusia succumbed to classic Falian techniques over the course of a few months, but with few actual cities to attack and the itinerant nature of many of its peoples, Fen-a'gai set course for the north to secure Laconia before Su-ba'tai finished his own campaigns. In Laconia, the soil was hard to till and surviving off the land by pillaging or going out on farthings was not realistic, and Fen-a'gai relied on frequent hunts in Madelia to sustain the wyverns. This back-and-forth siegecraft hampered attempts to take any significant territory in Kasmir. Unknown to Xa'al or Fen-a'gai, the Auber were able to trade gunpowder weapons with the elves of Ludor and the humans of Kasmir. Though Kasmir by no means had the power to resist an attack like Ghine could, their stubborness and pride were key components of their success. In addition, attempts to isolate their cities were fruitless; the Dinamid rule there four centuries prior and continued religious traditions meant they had extensive catacombs under their cities, which were essentially roadways for supplies to go in and out. When Su-ba'tai returned to R'getta and recalled his son and nephew back to their home settlement, Fen-a'gai had yet to take Cedonia, Andalia, Sephyria, and Zaoria. Consolidating power and first divisions Su-ba'tai recognized the possibilities of revolt in the near future by local lords and aristocracy; Xa'al's campaigns and city-farthing ''strategy were well-received by the Khan and he had similar structures placed in his Pracian conquests, to better serve their loyalties. While the conquests of the two continents had been swift and comparitively easy, Su-ba'tai held concerns about long term rule being effective. Society Falian wyverns Military application Wyverns were by far the most important aspect and beast in the Falian culture, though the Fabians would refrain from raising wyverns as well as riding them. Wyverns were self-sufficient beasts, and they were hardy and fast. They also could travel long distances without fatigue, and ignored terrain changes and obstacles of the landscape. Wyverns were well adapted to the harsh winters and could smell creatures under snow, hibernating, and was easily able to find and consume their prey. Almost every family possessed at least one wyvern depending on their caste, and in some cases, wyverns were buried with their owners to serve with them in the next life. Falian wyverns were probably the most important factor of the Falian expansion. Without the extremely skilled, not to mention famous, cavalry, the Falians would not have been able to raid and capture the huge area they did. It also served as a beast that the Falians could drink blood from, by cutting into a vein in the neck and drinking it, especially on long journeys from place to place. Wyverns could fly over 25 miles every hour, meaning that the Falians could traverse Neuphany in a little over a week. Husbandry During Falian rule, wyverns were bred into a few distinct lines that were exclusive to each caste. These wyverns served different purposes per their caste, and were often associated with certain medicinal herbs brought from the Falian homeland. Wyverns were originally domesticated from the gith homeland, alleged by the Falians to have been first broken by Vaalkhan and given to her progeny as a gift for their reverence. Wyverns were difficult to break, and male gith were not considered to be adolescent until they've broken their first wyvern, and were not considered men until they've broken at least three wyverns. After the Falians After the disintegration of Falian society, wyverns had no capable predators and began to breed out of control, spreading across the Old World faster than even the Falian expansion. This was among the most devastating ecological disasters in all recorded history, surpassing the devastation of ''Corrivalia by Attacus Rex. During these two decades, the predatory, venomous Jacarandite wyverns were able to outcompete the wyverns of the other castes, with the only competition being the larger Chrysanthemite wyverns. The admixture between these two breeds resulted in the much larger, more aggressive, venomous, and fast wyverns identifiable today. One of the last elves outside of the Borean League aristocracy, Saint Janus, would expel a majority of the wyverns from the Old World by harnessing the harsh summer sun of CE 546, though some do remain today on the outskirts of civilization. Castes of the Ku'lik The colonial focus of the Falians was best exemplified in their rigid caste system. Castes were based on merit, and in the Ku'lik ''army under Su-ba'tai specifically, were based on different medicinal flowering plants brought from their homeland. The castes were not simply societal structures; rather, they had different expectations in the eyes of the law, and the khan would show leniency in certain punitive matters. In addition, castes would determine the type of wyverns that were flown by the members of that caste. Castes are decided at adolescence based on what type of wyvern is broken by the young man or woman at his or her twelfth year. This is directly tied to the relative ''psi abilities of the individual; without either immense physical strength, wits, or the necessary psi ''abilities, the larger Chrysanthemite wyverns and venomous Jacarandite wyverns are virtually impossible to break, and would kill those who failed to break them. Thus, merit and ''psi were primary determinants of caste. Jacarandites, the military Soldiers of war, excluding the khans, were identified by their smaller, leaner wyverns and their dyed silk garments of jacaranda. These wyverns are closest to the wild wyverns of Yi'tyan, according to the oral tradition of the gith, and were extremely dangerous. The venom in their tails being able to kill an elephant in a few seconds, and their saliva would doom any man who touched it. Most Jacarandite warriors would be eligible to increase their rank up to kith'rak, but to become a gish, one must be of the Chyrsanthemite caste. The Jacarandites were held to the highest standards of all the Falians. They received the death penalty for even minor offenses, including not mounting their wyverns from the left side of the beast. They would drill for hours every day they were not on campaign to ensure they would not "become soft." In turn, they would receive the largest portions of food, including high amounts of lamb and dairy. The Jacarandite wyverns were made the symbol of the Falians at large by Su-ba'tai, showing fidelity and respect to his military, as well as demonstrating to the other castes that their task was to support this primary caste. Chrysanthemites, the administration The highest caste of Falian society, the Chysanthemites, are made of the khan, a council of gish, and their wives. It is by far the smallest caste, with usually less than fifty members at any time, and typically only a dozen men with actual rank. An adolescent who could break a Chrysanthemite wyvern would join the military for a short period of time before receiving their education from the khan's wife and consorts. At age twenty-seven, they would join the Chrysanthemite court as an administrator and courtier. Chrysanthemite wyverns were massive and had large jaws that could break stone with ease; their pink scales were as hard as iron, and in addition, they were stubborn, so breaking them was a nearly impossible affair. Most gith foolhardy enough to take one to break did not succeed, as strong psi abilities were needed to hold them still for hours until they relented. This was the only way one could break these wyverns. Women would typically break one such wyvern, and then enlist to be married to one of the higher ranked generals of the Falian army. Men would usually break three wyverns before their thirteenth birthday. The Chrysanthemites were held to high standards, and most notably, innocuous affairs like white lies were met with death. However, in turn, they would not be punished for crimes such as theft or murder. They received large food portions, of which the staples included dairy and pork. Forsythites, the herders The largest of the three supporting castes, Forsythites were almost all women. Forsythite wyverns were rather slow and bulky, and relented quickly to even minor psi abilities. Because most gith women were interested in marriage as opposed to ambitions in the military or as a wyvern master, they often pursued this caste as a temporary measure. The Forsythite wyverns were valued as herding beasts, as they had a loud bellowing roar and could keep herding beasts from scattering. Forsythites had a degree of leniency in the eyes of the law, though they were forbidden from leaving their herds save for finding new pastures, under penalty of death. Though they cared for the livestock, they would not receive significant portions, and the only meat they would receive would be mutton in small portions. Kavites, the artisans The term "artisan" is used fairly loosely in the Kavites, as most sewing and construction of essential tools were made by the wives of Jacarandites. However, artisans is broadly used among the Falians to describe chefs, smiths, and woodcarvers. Kavite wyverns were the smallest of the wyverns the Falians raised, but they were also the ones with the most energy. They were somewhat difficult to break, as they would not easily tire. The emerald Kavite wyverns could soar for a day straight without resting, allowing artisans to quickly move about territories. They received fairly lenient treatment by the Chrysanthemites. The Kavites ate well, though they did not receive meat. However, they were entitled to large amounts of dairy and seasonal plants at their request. Chamomites, the wyvern masters Perhaps one of the smallest castes next to the Chrysanthemites, the Chamomites were the breeders and caretakers of wyverns, and managed the ritual in which adolescent men would break their first wyvern. In addition, they were often some of the most skilled psi users among the Falians. Chamomites also received lenient punitive measures, though they were not permitted to enjoy the spoils of war, making giving dowry difficult unless their sons joined a different caste. They ate dairy and mutton, similar to the Forsythites. Law and governance The Falians were governed by a code of law devised by Vaalkhan. A particular canon of this code was that those of rank shared much the same hardship as the common man. It also imposed severe penalties – usually the death penalty, if one mounted soldier following another did not pick up something dropped from the mount in front. Penalties were also decreed for rape and to some extent for murder. Any resistance to Falian rule was met with massive collective punishment. Cities were destroyed and their inhabitants slaughtered if they defied Falian orders. Under Vaalkhan's code of law, chiefs and generals were selected based on their wyverns broken in adolescence, a system of merit with little deviation. The empire was governed by a non-democratic, parliamentary-style central assembly of the Chrysanthemites, in which the Falian courtiers met with the khan to discuss domestic and foreign policies. Once Su-ba'tai understood the importance of maintaining order in his holdings, the Falians also created a national seal, encouraged the use of a written alphabet in Gith, and supported local religious leaders. King Xa'al later exempted the lawyers among the Chrysanthemites and the artists and teachers of any caste from taxes. The Falians relied on experienced Auber governors to serve as administrators in the somewhat unruly areas of Cascadia, and even sent orcs from the coastal regions to serve as administrators over the human populations in their northern territories. Religions and shamanism At the time of Su-ba'tai, virtually every religion had found Falian converts, from the cults of Saclis to the Old Faith. To avoid strife and angering Vaalkhan, Su-ba'tai set up an institution that ensured complete religious freedom, though he himself was still devoted to Vaalkhan. Under his administration, all religious leaders were exempt from taxation and from public service. This policy is sometimes blamed as the cause of the decline of the Falians, but it was actually those dedicated to the cult of Vaalkhan that would overthrow King Xa'al for his betrayal of the core religious worship that made up much of the shamanism of Su-ba'tai's strategy. Arts and literature The oldest surviving literary work in the Gith language is The Treason, which was written for the royal family some time after Su-ba'tai's death by Antarch. This initial work by Antarch covered Falian origins and through to the establishment of their people in Neuphany and the reign of King Xa'al before his overthrow. Falian scribes in the Ninth Era used a mixture of resin and vegetable pigments as a primitive form of correction fluid; this is arguably its first known usage. They also appreciated the visual arts, though their taste in portraiture was strictly focused on portraits of their wyverns, rather than of people. Falian dwellings The gith have been living in virtually the same dwellings since they went on campaign hundreds of years prior. These dwellings are called yurts, and during the Falian campaign in Arcadia, they consisted of a round, collapsible wooden frame covered in felt. The roof was formed from about 80 wooden rods attached at one end to the wall frame and at the other to an iron ring in the center, providing a sturdy base for the felt roof. Without the roof in place, this frame would have resembled a large wooden wheel with the wooden spokes converging at the iron ring. The top of the roof was usually about five feet higher than the walls so precipitation would run to the ground. The ring at the peak of the yurt could be left open as a vent for smoke and a window for sunlight, or it could be closed with a piece of felt. Doors were made from a felt flap or, for richer families, out of wood. They were always set up with the door facing the south and tended to have an altar across from the door. The floors were dirt, but richer families were able to cover the floors with felt rugs. Sometimes beds were used, but most people slept on the floor between hides, around the fire pit that was in the center of the dwelling. The Forsythite herders moved constantly from southern regions in the winter months to the northern steppes in summer as well as moving periodically to fresh pastures. The yurts' size and the felt walls made them relatively cool in the summers and warm in the winters allowing the Falians to live in the same dwelling year-round. Disassembling the yurts only took about an hour, as did putting them back up in a new location. Yurts could be heated with dried wyvern dung, found in abundance with the traveling herds, so no timber was needed for warmth The felt for the covering was made from wool that was taken from sheep, also present in most Falian herds on campaign and in R'getta. The wooden frame was handed down from one generation to the next and seldom had to be replaced. Kinship and marriage Compared to other civilizations, Falian women had the power to influence society, as in the Chrysanthemite caste. Even though men were dominant in society, many turned to women in their lives for advice. Su-ba'tai permitted his wives to sit with him and encouraged them to voice their opinions. King Xa'al is also legendary for being influenced by his queen Hadassa, who became his sole wife as well as main influence for the Fabian split. The Falians allowed marriage to men only if they had broken at least three wyverns, as it required men to be considered adults before it was allowed. Before a marriage could proceed, the bride's family was required to offer a dowry of spoils from their father's service in Falian campaigns to the groom's mother and father. To avoid paying the dowry, families could exchange daughters or the groom could take another daughter as dowry, making her a part of his harem. Once the dowry was settled, the bride's family presented her with an inheritance of livestock or slaves. Typically, married Falian wore silk to distinguish themselves from the unmarried women. Wives also could not be traded under penalty of death. Marriages among the Falians were arranged. Men were permitted to practice polygamy, though they only were permitted to have one wife, with a handful of consorts. They would often take non-gith as consorts, it was taboo to take one for a wife. Non-gith were seen as inferior and weak, and though Falians believed they were enriching the lineage of other races, they also saw taking one for a wife as having one's own lineage as being tainted. This was one of the root causes for King Xa'al being killed, as Hadassa was a human woman. Since each consort had their own yurt, the husband had the opportunity to choose where he wanted to sleep each night. Visitors to Falian settlements found it remarkable that marital complications did not arise. The location of the yurts between the consorts differed depending on who they favored. The wife was to remain in their primary settlement in Arcadia, while consorts would come with each man on campaign. The man was required to only visit his wife's yurt when he was in her village, and also was required to have at least one child with her for every wyvern he has broken. Women were almost always in the supporting castes, working by moving yurts, herding and milking all the livestock, and making felt for the yurt. Along with these chores, they were expected to cook and sew for their husband, their children, and their elders. Category:Civilizations